Safety device for outboard motors



March 19, 1957 E. A. STROLLIS SAFETY DEVICE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Fi'led May 22, 1953 IN V EN TOR. EDWARD A. STROLL/S A Tron/ EX United States Patent F SAFETY DEVICE FOR OUTBOARD MOTORS Edward A. Strollis, Rochester, N. Y.

Application May 22, 1953, Serial No. 356,689 2 Claims. (Cl. 70-58) My invention relates to outboard motors and more particularly to a safety device for preventing loss of the motor should the clamps by which the motor is fastened to the boat become loosened and to minimize the possibility of loss of the motor by theft.

The owner of a boat employing an outboard motor after completing use of the boat for the day usually removes the motor from the boat for safe storage, and protection from the elements. For this reason the motor must be capable of quick application to and removal from the backboard or stern wall of the boat. The means for attaching outboard motors to the stern walls of boats has become more or less standard with all manufacturers. The motor casting includes usually an integral bracket or saddle, one part of which lies on the inside of the boat and engages the inner face of the stern wall while the other part lies on the outer side of the boat. The saddle is essentially U-shaped with the leg of the U on the internal side of the boat carrying suitable clamping elements which are turned by hand to bear against the internal face of the stern wall or backboard of the boat so as to clamp the motor in position. The external leg of the U bears against the backboard, carries the motor and the drive shaft and propeller project below it.

The action of the propeller in driving the boat at high speed causes a reaction between the clamping means and the backboard of the boat which tends to loosen the clamps. This effect is increased whenever the motor is rapidly accelerated or decelerated. Moreover, long use of the boat and repeated applications of the clamps to the backboard causes the backboard inner face to become defaced and marred by clamping rings so that securing of a good clamping action is made more difficult. Should the clamps become loose while the boat is in motion, sudden acceleration may result in the saddle lifting out of its seat on the backboard and being lost in the lake or other body of water. Hundreds of out-board motors are lost in this manner every year. Moreover, the loss of outboard motors by reason of theft is a frequent occurrence.

An object of my invention is to provide a simple and eflicient device for preventing loss of an out-board motor in case the clamps associated therewith become loose while the motor is in use, the device interfering only to a slight extent with the easy application or removal of the motor from the boat.

Another object of my invention is to provide a device for use in cooperation with the standard clamping devices of an outboard motor to minimize theft of the motor.

More specifically my invention contemplates the provision of a bracket adapted to be attached to the inner face of the backboard of a boat which is provided with means adapted to cooperate with the clamps to prevent loss of the motor should the clamps become loose, with bracket also being provided with means for padlocking the motor with respect to the boat to minimize the possibility of loss of the motor by reason of theft.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be ice 2 particularly set forth in the claims and will be apparent from the following description, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing the backboard or stern wall of a boat with an outboard motor mounted thereon and incorporating the safety device of my invention;

Fig. 2 is a face view of the bracket constituting part of the safety device of my invention;

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2 with a part of the backboard or stern wall in section;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing the outboard motor mounted on the bracket and the safety device of my invention assembled and locked; and

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of Fig. 4 partly in section with parts being shown in dotted lines.

In the drawings Figs. 1), l have illustrated somewhat diagrammatically and in perspective an outboard motor generally indicated by the numeral 11. The outboard motor includes a gasoline engine mounted in a housing casting, part of which depends as shown at 12. The propeller shaft (not shown) extends downward and outward through the depending part 12 of the housing casting toward the water and carries the usual propeller. integral with the housing casting 12 is a pair of brackets or saddles generally indicated by the numeral 13 adapted to hook over the backboard or stern wall 14 of a'boat. The inside face of the backboard of the boat has been indicated by the numeral 16 and the external face of the backboard has been indicated by the numeral 17.

The saddle 13 is generally U-shaped and comprises a pair of leg members it each of which has a planar surface 19 adapted to engage the external face 17 of the backboard 14. The bases of the U of the saddle rest, as shown at 21, on the upper edge of the backboard 14 and the other legs 22 of the U-shaped saddle extend downward on the inside of the boat.

In the conventional outboard motor construction the legs 22 are bored and threaded for the reception of threaded clamping screws 23. The clamping screws 23 are bored at their ends for the free and slidable reception of hand par-ts 2'4. Secured to the other ends of the clamping screws 23 are clamping bases 26 of enlarged area adapted when the clamping screws 23 are threaded inward to move into clamping relation with the inside face of the backboard.

The above construction is largely standard and differs very little between the makes of various manufacturers. It will be appreciated that if the clamps become loose, the saddle may slip oif or ride out of its seat on the backboard particularly due to forces exerted by the propeller. Moreover, should the owner fail to store the motor in a safe placewhen he is not using it, the clamps may be easily released and the motor stolen. My invention contemplates the provision of a safety device which will not only positively prevent loss of the motor if the clamps should become loose but is also a deterrent to theft of the motor.

The safety device of my invention is adapted to co operate with the conventional clamping devices now employed by almost all manufacturers of outboard motors. The device comprises a plate or bracket 28 which is secured to the inner face 16 of the backboard 14 by a series of screws 29. The bracket 28 has a pair of upstanding fianges or ears 31 which extend substantially parallel to each other. The flanges 31 are provided with aligned bores or apertures 32 which lie above the level of the clamping screws 23 when these screws are in their normal clamping position. if desired, a series of aligned apertures may be employed to allow for slight variations in the constructions of various manufacturers of outboard motors.

The safety device includes a rod or bar 33 which is of hardened steel and which extends through the apertures 32. One end of the bar 33 is upset or enlarged as indicated at 34 so that it will not pass through the apertures 32. The other end of the bar 33 is flattened on two sides, as shown at 36, for the reception of a pin 37 upon which a bar extension 38 is pivoted.

in utilizing the safety device of my invention, the bracket 28 is permanently attached to the inner face 16 of the backboard 14. This plate thus also provides a bearing surface for the clamps 26 to prevent defacement and marring of the backboard which in present constructions makes the securing of a tight clamping action more difiicult when a boat has been used for a period of years.

of the screws.

dicated in Fig. 4. It will be further understood that the extension 38 may be employed on both ends of the bar 33 with a locking device on one end instead of upsetting or enlarging one end of the bar as shown at 34.

As a further deterrent to theft of the motor, it will be observed that the screws 29 are located so that the clamping elements or faces 26 overlie one or more of the heads Because the clamping faces 26 can be moved away from the backboard only to a limited extent, it is difilcult to gain access to the screws with a conventional screwdriver, whereby removal of the plate or V bracket 28 can only be acccomplished with difficulty.

serted in the aperture 32 in the right flange 33 as viewed in Fig. 4. The bar 33 is of course inserted in the aperture with the extension 33 in alignment with the bar 33 as indicated in dotted lines. The bar 33 is then pushed to the left and inserted through the aperture 32 in the left hand flange 31 and the extension 3?; turned to the solid line position shown in Fig. 4. In this position of the parts, the bar is locked in position above the threaded clamping members 23 so that even if the clamps become loose, the saddle cannot be accidentally displaced from the backboard. No loss of the motor can occur even if the user fails to bring the clamping elements 26 in clamping relation with the backboard.

The safety device of my invention may further include provisions against the motor being stolen. For this purpose, an arm or link 41 is pivoted as shown at 42 on one of the flanges '31. The other end of the arm is provided with an aperture 43 which may be brought into alignment with an aperture 44 provided in the flange 31 when the arm 41 is swung about the pivot 42. When the apertures 43 and 4.4 are in alignment with each other, the link 46 of a padlock 47 may be extended through the apertures and locked in the usual manner. It will be particularly noted that the pivot 42, the aperture 32, and the aperture 44 are in alignment with each other so that when the arm 41 is moved to the position shown in Fig. 5, the arm 4 covers the right hand end of the bar 33 as viewed in Fig. 4. With the parts in this position as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the bar cannot be removed and the out It will of course be understood that the arm 41 may be arranged to overlie the extension 38 so that the extension cannot be moved to the dotted line position in- It will be apparent that I have provided a novel safety device not only to prevent accidental loss of the motor but also to minimize the possibility of theft.

While I have shown and described the preferred form of my invention, it will be further understood that various changes and modifications may be made therein, particularly in the form and relation of parts, without departing from the spirit of my invention as set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A safety device for preventing accidental loss of an outboard motor wherein the motor is carried by a saddle which is essentially U-shaped and extends over the backboard of a boat and the arms of the U which lie on the inside of the boat are provided with screw clamps adapted to engage the backboard comprising, in combination, a plate adapted to be secured to said backboard, said plate having integral portions extending substantially at right angles to the plane of the plate, said portions having aligned apertures above the level of where the screw clamps are to be placed, a bar extending through said apertures and projecting beyond said integral portions at each end and means at each end of said bar for preventing withdrawal of said bar with at least one of said means being an extension pivoted to the end of the bar which may be turned at right angles to the bar to hold the bar in position in said apertures.

2. A safety device in accordance with claim 1 wherein one of said portions has a member pivoted thereto which may be moved into overlying relation with the adjacent end of said bar and said portion and said member have apertures through which the hasp of a lock may be extended.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,884,992 Grabbe Oct. 25, 1932 2,521,875 Showalter Sept. 12, 1950 2,592,772 Wardius Apr. 15, 1952 2,615,323 Budisch Oct. 28, 1952 2,639,604 Wardius May 26, 1953 2,639,605 Knutson May 26, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS A 14,142 Great Britain of 1901 

